How to choose your freshwater lure
Black Magic Pro Team member Sam Boothroyd is an experienced fresh and saltwater angler from Nelson. He has spent years learning and developing his skills on the banks of New Zealand’s beautiful rivers. In this article he talks through the conditions he considers when choosing what freshwater lures to use.
When choosing my lure for a certain section of river there are lots of conditions that impact my decision:
- Water clarity is the big one and for me the most important
- The speed of the river and its characteristics are also important
- The width and size of the river I’m fishing
- The time of day and weather conditions both prior to fishing and during
- The species of fish present
Also, something that usually will take some time to find out is the aggressiveness of the fish on each given day.
WATER CLARITY
Generally speaking, when the water is clear I like to use natural coloured lures that imitate the baitfish that will be present in the river.
Lures with black and gold never let me down, as well as lures with colours and patterns that resemble juvenile rainbow and brown trout. The clearer water means the fish have more time to identify and therefore consider your lure. So making sure it’s realistic is important, hence the natural colors.
When the water is dirty it is often a great time to mix things up with some more abstract colors that will stand out more.
Clearer water also means I will use lighter 6lb leader rather than 8lb as its less obvious.
SPEED AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RIVER
The pace of the river also impacts my lure choice. BMax lures don’t work particularly well in fast flowing water, as they are lighter and therefore, they get taken away by the current. For this reason, I will choose a metal spinner such as Spinmax and Enticer lures.
Faster water generally makes for more aggressive fish so the ability to wind quickly can be very useful.
The shape and characteristics of the river are a big consideration point. Slow moving pools or eddies are the perfect place for the BMax lures and in some situations, Spinmax lures. Fast flowing rapids better suit Enticer lures, which can keep up with the action and pace of the water.
The size and depth of the river also influence my decision. A wide river requires weightier lures in order to fully utilize the water, and you will also need to cover more ground to find where the fish are holding.
For these reasons, I will use heavy 12g and 20g Enticers and 9.3g and 13g Spinmax lures to cover ground until I find more likely looking spots where I will often switch to the lighter 4.6g and 6.5g Enticers to enhance the bite.
WEATHER AND TIME OF DAY
The weather conditions and time of day massively impact fishing. On hot sunny days the fish tend to be much less aggressive, but if I can find a shady spot with slow moving water, I can still work the fish effectively.
My preference for these times is the BMax range – they seem to have a more enticing action and can be worked much slower.
Rainy conditions or flooded rivers usually create a feeding frenzy and are by far my favorite time to fish. In these situations, I can fish successfully with almost any lure.
SPECIES
Despite being very similar in shape, rainbow and brown trout have very different characteristics.
Rainbow trout tend to be a lot less picky and more aggressive most of the time. When fishing in rivers where rainbow trout are present, I will mix things up with lure patterns and colours, including some I don’t usually use.
In comparison, brown trout are often picky and need more encouragement to take the lure so natural and more realistic colored lures are my go-to.
My favorite lures are the ‘Gold Rush’ Spinmax lure and is always a good backup option for when the fishing is slow.
I’m a massive fan of both the BMax50 and BMax60 hard body lures, particularly the ‘Fire Belly’ BMax60 and ‘Hot Head’ BMax50.
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